Prepare to Win: America’s Cup  A lesson on winning

Monday

I sat here stunned, as many fans of America's Cup yacht racing did. The American team was down eight races to one, and had to win eight races in a row to defend their championship from 2010.

Fat chance, right? For most, they would have counted it as a loss, taken a knee, and said, "We left it all on the water." Whatever. Team captain Jimmy Spithill, exerting captainship over weak-kneed leadership, said of the 8-1 deficit, "We faced the barrel of the gun at 8-1. What did these guys do? They didn't even flinch."

Can I get a BAM? Didn't even flinch. I don't know about you, but I'm all goose-bumpy right now. Let's take a week off of "Decoding Wooden" and learn how Team USA defeated the New Zealanders. These traits of winners and winning teams are yours for the learning, but are useless unless you embrace them, employ them, then enjoy them as you continue your winning ways.

Trait 1: Winners are composed. "They didn't even flinch" Spithill said. Winners don't freak out if they're losing or behind. They keep their composure and figure out what it takes to win and make it happen. They're comebackers when they have to be. I have told you over and over that winners are closers, and when the Kiwis didn't close the Americans out, they allowed sailors who had won previous championships to remain in contention and close them out instead. They squeezed a victory out of those Kiwis. Not putting Team USA away was a bad idea. Hey, put your opponent away as quickly as possible to avoid this sort of scenario. But, if you find yourself behind in a game, race or match, stay composed, figure out what needs to happen to win and push through until it happens.

Trait 2: Winners are correctors. As the Americans entered the final race, they were asked how they were able to catch up. Spithill said that his team made the adjustments necessary to win. In essence, the team made whatever corrections were necessary in order to begin winning. Making corrections is a good thing, except for those who like or accept losing. Too many make no corrections and just keep doing the same losing thing over and over and over. Not Team USA.

Trait 3: Winners are cohesive. Listen to what Spithill said about his crew. "A lesser team would have dropped the ball and split apart. This team pulled itself together." His team was so cohesive, that no matter the situation, they stuck together until they won, which all champions do. Do you know what the physics version of cohesive means? It is defined as "a molecular force within a body acting to unite its parts." Well, I'm thinking that this group unified itself and exerted enough force to come back from an 8-1 deficit. When cohesion rules, opponents lose!

Trait 4: Winners are contagious. How do you know when the whole team has been infected with the win bug? All teammates begin declaring winning results, and not just the captain or the coach. In his breakthrough book, "Top Dog: The Science of Winning," author Po Bronson shows that teams who feel they can win begin taking ownership of the championship and begin a process of collaboration which leads to winning results. In essence, winning becomes contagious and team members (you know, the I's in team) embrace their winning roles, declare their winning intentions, and infect those around them. When Team USA was heading for victory in the final race, it was tactician Ben Ainslie who proclaimed, "This is it, this is it." It wasn't Spithill, the captain, or Larry Ellison, the owner, it was a crew member who caught the win bug and passed it on.

What Do Winners Do (WDWD)? When the final race was over, Team USA talked about how fulfilling the victory was. Winners find fulfillment in championships as the result their efforts, whereas most find fulfillment by "giving it their best effort" or, gulp, "just having fun." That's the biggest difference between champions and "nons," the results they are fulfilled by. Are you fulfilled by championships or not? Got it? Good.

George Mangum, M.A., is a WIN psychologist and the founder of Bigger Faster Stronger-High Desert, where athletes at all levels are prepared to win physically, emotionally and mentally. George can be contacted at 760-403-3449 or on Facebook at Bigger Faster Stronger-High Desert. You can also follow him at twitter.com/thewincoach.

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